- “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).
- “I am the light of the world” (8:12).
- “I am the gate” (10:9).
- “I am the good shepherd” (10:11).
- “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25 -26).
- “I am the way the truth and the life” (14:6).
- “I am the true vine” (15:1).
- Remain in Christ. Surrender your plans and choose to remain in Christ, living in Him and in His power. Pray for open eyes to see the ministry opportunities He places before you.
- Mentor. If you are already involved in a ministry, offer to mentor someone who is not. Disciple them in the discipline of abiding in Christ and help them discover how they can minister too.
- Lead. If God is calling you to ministry leadership, accept His call. Talk with your pastor about this calling and your next steps.
Joining God’s Work
The Passage: John 15:1-8
The Setting: Introduction: John 15 is a continuation
of Jesus’ farewell discourse to His disciples on the evening of His arrest.
(chapters 13-16) The part of the discussion recorded in John 15 may have
taken place as Jesus and His disciples walked from the upper room to the Garden
of Gethsemane. Along the way they probably passed some grapevines and Jesus,
always the teacher would seize the moment to make His point. He tells them “I
am the true vine.”
Now this is the last of seven “I am”
declarations of Jesus recorded only in John’s Gospel. These “I am”
proclamations point to His unique divine identity and purpose.
Jesus said, “I am the True Vine” to closest friends gathered around Him. It was
only a short time before Judas would betray Him; in fact, Judas had already
left to do his infamous deed (John 13:30). Jesus was preparing the eleven men
left for His pending crucifixion, His resurrection, and His subsequent
departure for heaven. He had just told them that He would be leaving them (John
14:2). Knowing how disturbed they would feel, He gave them this lovely metaphor
of the True Vine as one of His encouragements.
Last week Paul’s use of the body and its parts as
a description of the church and how it was to function effectively.
This week, Jesus teaches us that we can
accomplish great things and bear great fruit for the Lord if we learn the
Spiritual Discipline of abiding. What does that really mean? Jesus says,
I am the source of life, joy, growth, and impact in the life of every believer.
We abide for the sake of bearing fruit – what does that really mean?
We fill our lives with a plethora of activities
that make demands on our time: work, hobbies, church and ministry, sports,
school, and community events. Nothing on that list is inherently bad. But the
question underlying all this activity is: What’s the purpose?
God created us to work and be active, not just
to keep busy but to make our world a better place. Plus, He wants us to engage
in work for the sake of His Kingdom.
So here is the key question: what kind of
activity contributes to making our community a better place, grows the kingdom
numerically and spiritually, and gives us a sense of purpose?
These things will happen when we abide in Christ
and join in God’s work for His glory, both in the church and in the world. Then
we will find our ultimate purpose and greatest satisfaction.
The Point: Believers are to join God’s work in
both the church and the world.
I. God expects believers
to produce spiritual fruit. John 15:1-3
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch
in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so
that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word
I have spoken to you.”
One of my devotions this week: JESUS SAYS TO US
what He said to the disciples in the midst of a storm. “It is I!
Don’t be afraid” (John 6:20). The literal translation of what Jesus said
is “I AM; don’t be afraid.” I
AM. That’s God’s name.
· When we wonder if God is coming, He answers with His name, “I
AM!”
· When we wonder if He is able, He declares, “I AM.”
· When we see nothing but darkness, feel nothing but doubt, and
wonder if God is near or aware - again, the welcome answer from Jesus is this:
“I AM!”
· We should pause for a moment and simply let God tell us His
name.
You see, our greatest need in this life with
anything that we have going on is His presence.
Yes, we want a storm to pass. Yes, we want the winds to still. Yes, we want
to know, need to know, and must know that the great I AM is near. Jesus want
you to know that you are never alone. - Max Lucado Devotions
·
“I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).
·
“I am the light of the world” (8:12).
·
“I am the gate” (10:9).
·
“I am the good shepherd” (10:11).
·
“I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25 -26).
·
“I am the way the truth and the life” (14:6).
·
“I am the true vine” (15:1).
In using the construction, “I am,” Jesus was
associating Himself with God. The Jews were quite familiar with Exodus 3:14,
where God instructed Moses to tell those who inquired that “I AM” had sent him
to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. “I am” is the essence of the name Yahweh,
the name expressing God’s covenantal relationship with the Jews.
Jesus refers to cutting away and pruning, how do
you explain this concept?
·
Those that only pretend to be His will be cut off.
What kind of fruit are we to bear?
·
Some people equate fruit with evangelistic success, meaning
how many people you lead to faith in Jesus.
·
Some people connect fruit to acts of service, meaning the
ministry you do in the name of Jesus.
·
Some people insist fruit is about personal growth, the
character of Jesus that God shapes in you.
Jesus wanted not only those eleven disciples,
but believers of all time, to know that He was not going to desert them, even
though they would no longer enjoy His physical presence. His living energy — His
spiritual reality — would continue to nourish and sustain them just as the
roots and trunk of a grape vine produce the energy that nourishes and sustains
its branches while they develop their fruit. Jesus wanted us to know that, even
though we cannot see Him, we are as closely connected to Him as the branches of
a vine are connected to its stem. Our desire to know and love Him and the
energy to serve Him will keep flowing into and through us as long as we “abide”
in Him.
II. Believers bear
spiritual fruit through their relationship with Jesus. John 15:4-5
4 “Remain in me, as I also remain in you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can
you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the
branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart
from me you can do nothing.”
What do you think it means to remain in Christ? When
has it been clear to you that without God you can do nothing?
· The source of the life is in the vine. The only way a branch can
bear fruit is to stay connected to the vine. The fruit does not grow directly
on the vine; it grows on the branches, which are attached to the vine. What a
remarkable thought! God works through us to accomplish His purpose in the
world. Jesus has chosen to work through us to bear His fruit. God uses us, but
He only uses us if we remain connected to Him.
· Jesus went on to say that no branch can even live, let
alone produce leaves and fruit, by itself. Cut off from the trunk, a branch is
dead. Just as a vine’s branches rely on being connected to the trunk from which
they receive their energy to bear fruit, Jesus’ disciples depend on being
connected to Him for their spiritual life and the ability to serve Him
effectively. The fruit we produce is that of the Holy Spirit—love, joy, peace,
patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control
(Galatians 5:22–23). Our source of life and spiritual fruit is not in
ourselves; it is outside us, in Christ Jesus. We can live, live rightly, and
serve Him effectively only if we are rightly connected to Him in a faith/love
relationship.
· Yes, it is a reference to conversion fruit (where people
are getting saved through our influence), but more directly, it speaks of character
fruit (where we are bearing the fruit of the Spirit and becoming more like
Jesus Christ).
What makes remaining in Christ so difficult
sometimes? How do spiritual disciplines help us remain in Jesus?
Then Jesus underscored His point even more
strongly by saying, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). This
illustration of the vine and branches is no thoughtless generality or careless
simile. It is absolute, stark reality. No believer can achieve anything of
spiritual value independently of Christ Jesus. He also reminds us that there
are some who are “in” Him who bear no fruit. But these are not, as some would
suppose, true branches that just happen to be fruitless. All true branches
bear fruit. This is why Jesus tells us, “By their fruit you will know
them” (Matthew 7:16–20). Those who do not produce good fruit are cut away
and burned. The reference here is to apostates, those who profess to know
Christ but whose relationship to Him is insincere.
III. God is glorified as
believers bear spiritual fruit. John 15:6-8
6 “If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch
that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the
fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever
you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you
bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
How is God glorified
through our production of fruit?
Once the branch is separated from the vine, it’s
worthless—it becomes dead, dry twigs. The branches shrivel up and the gardener
gathers them up to be burned in the fire. Unconnected branches are good for
nothing. Psalm 1 contains a parallel metaphor: the one who walks with God is
fruitful “like a tree planted by streams of water,” but the ungodly “are like
chaff that the wind blows away” (Ps. 1:3-4).
During the first quarter of Super Bowl XLIV,
Indianapolis Colts kicker Matt Stover pointed to the sky when he made a 38-yard
field goal. This is not unusual at all—many athletes show similar gratitude to
God for their successes. But in the fourth quarter, with the game on the line,
Stover missed a 51-yard field goal attempt. Yet again, he pointed toward
heaven. Recognizing the significance of the gesture, the announcer noted that
Stover was “a ‘spiritual man’ grateful for divine blessing in success and failure,
victory and defeat.”8
As Stover pointed to God, he was acknowledging
that he was dependent on the One who gave him ability and opportunity. God is
glorified, not just because fruit is produced, but because the branches depend
on Him.
When we produce spiritual fruit, we glorify God
and prove we are Jesus’ disciples. As we live in Christ and live for Christ, we
will bear fruit—and God will be glorified.
The Point: Believers are to join God’s work in
both the church and the world.
Close with:
As Jesus taught, God expects believers to
produce spiritual fruit, meaning He expects us to do those things that truly
demonstrate that we are followers of Jesus. WWJD
We can only be and do what He expects by staying
connected to Jesus and acting in His power. Joining in God’s work, living as a
disciple of Jesus, is anything but passive. It is actively serving Him, being
spiritually productive, by His power and for His glory.
Use to be an old saying: if you were arrested
for being a Christian, what proof would it be based on?
